Material imbalance: Queen for Two Rooks

I have to say, if this is the aspect of your game most in need of fixing, then count yourself lucky, but there are some general lessons to be learned.

Example games:

Ish follows some theory:

Ramdewar I. - Edney R. [B76]

Kramnik wins with the Rooks:

Leko P. - Kramnik V. [C42]

Fischer wins with the Queen:

Portisch L. - Fischer R. [E45]

The Queen on the attack:

Janowsky - Lasker

The Rooks make a team:

Euwe - Rubinstein [D05]

So, what features favour the Rooks, which the Queen?

Yusupov loses to the Queen:

Jussupow A. - Shaked T. [E81]

Yusupov has another go with the Rooks:

Jussupow A. - Marjanovic S. [D34]

Chernin finds an improvement:

Chernin A. - Marjanovic S. [D34]

Ish's game in hindsight:

Ramdewar I. - Edney R. [B76]

Click on [...] to see games list.


[Event "Frome Congress Major"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2008.05.10"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Ramdewar, I."]
[Black "Edney, R."]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B76"]
[WhiteElo "113"]
[BlackElo "145"]
[Annotator "Rybka 2.3.2a 32-bit  (180s)"]
[PlyCount "64"]

{512MB, Fritz10.ctg, ISHMAEL B76: Sicilian Dragon: Yugoslav Attack, 9 g4 and 9
0-0-0} 1. e4 1... c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be3 Bg7 7.
f3 O-O 8. Qd2 Nc6 9. O-O-O d5 10. Nxc6 bxc6 11. exd5 Nxd5 12. Nxd5 cxd5 13.
Qxd5 Qc7 14. Qxa8 Bf5 15. Qxf8+ Kxf8 16. Rd2 {last book move} 16... Kg8 17. Bb5
(17. g4 17... Be6 $11) 17... h6 (17... Bxb2+ 18. Kxb2 Qe5+ 19. Bd4 Qxb5+ 20.
Kc1 $15) 18. c4 (18. Ba4 $16 $142) 18... a6 $17 19. g4 (19. Bxa6 Qa5 20. g4 Bc3
21. gxf5 Bxd2+ 22. Bxd2 22... Qxa2 $17) 19... Be6 (19... Bc8 20. Ba4 Qxc4+ 21.
Kb1 Bxg4 22. Bb3 $17) 20. Bxa6 $15 20... Qa5 21. Bb5 Qxa2 22. Rhd1 Qa1+ 23. Kc2
Qxb2+ 24. Kd3 Qc3+ 25. Ke2 Bxc4+ 26. Bxc4 Qxc4+ 27. Kf2 h5 28. Rd7 $2 (28. gxh5
$142 28... gxh5 29. Rd5 $15) 28... hxg4 $19 29. Rxe7 (29. Rd8+ $142 29... Kh7
30. R8d7 $19) 29... gxf3 30. Kxf3 30... Qh4 $4 (30... Qc6+ $142 31. Kg3 31...
Bf6 $19 32. Red7 Qe4 33. Bf4 Bh4+ 34. Kxh4 Qxf4+ 35. Kh3 Qf3+ 36. Kh4 f6) 31.
Rdd7 Qh5+ 32. Kg2 Qg4+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "WCh"]
[Site "Brissago SUI"]
[Date "2004.09.25"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Leko, P."]
[Black "Kramnik, V."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C42"]
[WhiteElo "2741"]
[BlackElo "2770"]
[PlyCount "130"]
[EventDate "2004.09.25"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Nc6 7. O-O Be7 8. c4
Nb4 9. Be2 O-O 10. Nc3 Bf5 11. a3 Nxc3 12. bxc3 Nc6 13. Re1 Re8 14. cxd5 Qxd5
15. Bf4 Rac8 16. h3 Be4 17. Be3 Na5 18. c4 Nxc4 19. Bxc4 Qxc4 20. Nd2 Qd5 21.
Nxe4 Qxe4 22. Bg5 Qxe1+ 23. Qxe1 Bxg5 24. Qa5 Bf6 25. Qxa7 c5 26. Qxb7 Bxd4 27.
Ra2 c4 28. Re2 Red8 29. a4 c3 30. Qe4 Bb6 31. Qc2 g6 32. Qb3 Rd6 33. Rc2 Ba5
34. g4 Rd2 35. Kg2 Rcd8 36. Rxc3 Bxc3 37. Qxc3 R2d5 38. Qc6 Ra5 39. Kg3 Rda8
40. h4 R5a6 41. Qc1 Ra5 42. Qh6 Rxa4 43. h5 R4a5 44. Qf4 g5 45. Qf6 h6 46. f3
R5a6 47. Qc3 Ra4 48. Qc6 R8a6 49. Qe8+ Kg7 50. Qb5 R4a5 51. Qb4 Rd5 52. Qb3
Rad6 53. Qc4 Rd3 54. Kf2 Ra3 55. Qc5 Ra2+ 56. Kg3 Rf6 57. Qb4 Raa6 58. Kg2 Rf4
59. Qb2+ Raf6 60. Qe5 Rxf3 61. Qa1 Rf1 62. Qc3 R1f2+ 63. Kg3 R2f3+ 64. Qxf3
Rxf3+ 65. Kxf3 Kf6 0-1

[Event "Piatigorsky-Cup 2nd"]
[Site "Santa Monica"]
[Date "1966.08.03"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Portisch, Lajos"]
[Black "Fischer, Robert James"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E45"]
[PlyCount "70"]
[EventDate "1966.07.17"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 b6 5. Nge2 Ba6 6. Ng3 Bxc3+ 7. bxc3 d5 8.
Qf3 O-O 9. e4 dxe4 10. Nxe4 Nxe4 11. Qxe4 Qd7 12. Ba3 Re8 13. Bd3 f5 14. Qxa8
Nc6 15. Qxe8+ Qxe8 16. O-O Na5 17. Rae1 Bxc4 18. Bxc4 Nxc4 19. Bc1 c5 20. dxc5
bxc5 21. Bf4 h6 22. Re2 g5 23. Be5 Qd8 24. Rfe1 Kf7 25. h3 f4 26. Kh2 a6 27.
Re4 Qd5 28. h4 Ne3 29. R1xe3 fxe3 30. Rxe3 Qxa2 31. Rf3+ Ke8 32. Bg7 Qc4 33.
hxg5 hxg5 34. Rf8+ Kd7 35. Ra8 Kc6 0-1

[Event "Linares Anibal op 4th"]
[Site "Linares"]
[Date "1997.??.??"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Jussupow, Artur"]
[Black "Shaked, Tal"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E70"]
[WhiteElo "2665"]
[BlackElo "2445"]
[PlyCount "112"]
[EventDate "1997.02.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nge2 O-O 6. Bg5 h6 7. Bf4 Nc6 8. Qd2
e5 9. Bxh6 Bxh6 10. Qxh6 Nxd4 11. Qd2 c5 12. Ng3 a6 13. Bd3 b5 14. h4 Be6 15.
O-O-O bxc4 16. Bb1 Nh7 17. Nf1 a5 18. Bc2 a4 19. a3 Qb6 20. Re1 Rfb8 21. Bd1
Ra7 22. Re3 Rab7 23. Nxa4 Qc6 24. h5 g5 25. Ng3 c3 26. Nxc3 Rxb2 27. Qxb2 Rxb2
28. Kxb2 Qb6+ 29. Kc1 Nf6 30. Nf1 Qa5 31. Kb2 Qb6+ 32. Kc1 Qa5 33. Kb2 Nb5 34.
Nxb5 Qxb5+ 35. Kc1 Qc4+ 36. Bc2 Ng4 37. Rf3 Qd4 38. Ne3 Qa1+ 39. Bb1 Qxa3+ 40.
Kd2 Qb4+ 41. Kc1 Qa3+ 42. Kd2 Qb2+ 43. Bc2 Qd4+ 44. Ke2 Nxe3 45. Rxe3 Bc4+ 46.
Kf3 f5 47. g4 Qb2 48. Bb1 Be2+ 49. Kg2 f4 50. Reh3 c4 51. h6 Kh7 52. Rh5 Qd2
53. Kh3 Qc3+ 54. Kh2 Qf3 55. Rg1 Qxf2+ 56. Rg2 Qe1 0-1

[Event "Sarajevo"]
[Site "Sarajevo"]
[Date "1984.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Jussupow, Artur"]
[Black "Marjanovic, Slavoljub"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D34"]
[WhiteElo "2570"]
[BlackElo "2525"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "1984.03.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c5 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. g3 Nf6 7. Bg2 Be7 8. O-O
O-O 9. Bg5 c4 10. Ne5 Be6 11. Nxc6 bxc6 12. b3 Qa5 13. Na4 Rfd8 14. e3 c5 15.
Nxc5 Bxc5 16. dxc5 Qxc5 17. bxc4 dxc4 18. Bxa8 Rxd1 19. Rfxd1 Nd7 20. Bf4 g5
21. Bd6 Qf5 22. Rd4 Ne5 23. Bxe5 Qxe5 24. Rc1 h5 25. Bg2 Qa5 26. h4 Qa3 27. Rc2
gxh4 28. Rxh4 Qb4 29. Bf1 Qb1 30. Rhxc4 Bxc4 31. Rxc4 Qxa2 32. Rf4 Kg7 33. Kh2
Qb2 34. Bg2 Qb5 35. Bf3 a5 36. Bd1 Kf8 37. Ba4 Qd5 38. Kg1 Ke7 39. Rd4 Qf5 40.
Rf4 1/2-1/2

[Event "Subotica Interzonal"]
[Site "Subotica"]
[Date "1987.??.??"]
[Round "16"]
[White "Chernin, Alexander"]
[Black "Marjanovic, Slavoljub"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D34"]
[WhiteElo "2570"]
[BlackElo "2505"]
[PlyCount "93"]
[EventDate "1987.06.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 c5 3. c4 e6 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. g3 Nf6 7. Bg2 Be7 8. O-O
O-O 9. Bg5 c4 10. Ne5 Be6 11. Nxc6 bxc6 12. b3 Qa5 13. Na4 Rfd8 14. e3 c5 15.
Nxc5 Bxc5 16. dxc5 Qxc5 17. Bxf6 gxf6 18. bxc4 dxc4 19. Bxa8 Rxd1 20. Rfxd1 Qa3
21. Rac1 h5 22. h4 Qxa2 23. Bd5 Bxd5 24. Rxd5 a5 25. Rc5 a4 26. R1xc4 Kg7 27.
Rb4 Qa3 28. Rcc4 Qa1+ 29. Kg2 a3 30. Rc5 Qd1 31. Ra5 Qd6 32. Rc4 Qd7 33. e4 Qd3
34. Rca4 Qc2 35. Rxa3 Qxe4+ 36. Rf3 Kg6 37. Ra6 Qd4 38. Rf4 Qd5+ 39. Kh2 Qd8
40. Rc6 Qe7 41. Ra6 Qd8 42. Raxf6+ Qxf6 43. Rxf6+ Kxf6 44. Kh3 Kf5 45. f3 f6
46. Kg2 Kg6 47. g4 1-0

Class: